Materials, with name and reference.
Guide 3 min read
The 60-30-10 rule
How much of each colour to use in a room: 60% dominant, 30% secondary and 10% accent, and where each one goes.
Short answer
60 %
of the room in the dominant colour, on the walls and largest surfaces
The 60-30-10 rule divides the colours of a room into 3 parts. About 60% is the dominant colour, on the walls and the largest surfaces. About 30% is the secondary colour, on the furniture, curtains and rug. The remaining 10% is the accent colour, on cushions, objects and pictures. The count is done by eye, by the visual weight of each colour.
When a room looks cluttered even when it is tidy, the problem is often colour: too many colours in similar amounts, with none in charge. The 60-30-10 rule solves this with a simple proportion. It tells you how much of each colour to use. Which colours to put together is the subject of the guide How to combine colours.
01What the rule says
- 60%, the dominant colour: the base of the room.
- 30%, the secondary colour: adds contrast and movement.
- 10%, the accent colour: draws the eye to chosen points.
The secondary colour takes up half the space of the dominant one, and the accent a third of the secondary. This difference in amounts is what creates balance: one colour leads, another follows and the third appears only a little.
02The 60%: the base colour
The dominant colour goes on the largest surfaces: the walls, often the floor and the large pieces. Because it is everywhere, it should be a calm colour that will not tire the eye after years: off-white, cream, beige, light grey or a soft tone. It makes the room welcoming and ready to receive the other colours.
03The 30%: the secondary colour
The secondary colour is different from the base, but goes with it. It appears in the furniture, curtains, rug, bedding or a feature wall. In a bedroom, it can be the panel behind the bed and the headboard. In a living room, the sofa and the curtains.
On furniture, the finish is also colour. A lacquered front or a wood veneer counts towards the 30% as much as a fabric. On our pieces, the lacquered fronts come in Sereno, Duna and Taupe, and the veneer in Oak or Walnut, among other woods depending on the piece.
04The 10%: the accent colour
The accent colour is the strongest, and that is why it appears in small amounts: cushions, a throw, a vase, a picture, a lamp. These are small pieces, easy to change. To change the feel of a room, changing the 10% is enough.
05Visual weight, not square metres
The rule does not call for a tape measure. The percentages are a guide for the eye: what counts is how much each colour weighs in the room, not the exact area of each surface.
Patterns and textures also count. A rug with a pattern in 2 colours is split between the 2. Neutrals, such as white, wood and metal, can join any of the 3 parts without upsetting the balance.
06Two bedrooms we designed
In a child's bedroom, the white of the walls and furniture makes up the 60%. The pale pink, in the painted waves, the bed and the lamp, makes up the 30%. Blue appears only in details and makes up the 10%.
In another bedroom, the cream of the walls and wardrobe doors makes up the 60%. The light wood of the drawers and the niche makes up the 30%. Lilac, on the throw on the bed and the bench cushion, makes up the 10%.
07How to choose the 3 colours
Start with the base and with what is already there: the floor, the wood of the furniture and the light in the room. Then choose the secondary and accent colours on the colour wheel. With neighbouring colours, the room is calm. With opposite colours, it has more contrast. The schemes are explained in the guide How to combine colours, and an example applied to the bathroom in Colour combinations for the bathroom.
Test the samples in the room itself, by day and at night, before painting. To see complete rooms, visit the Living room and Bedroom pages.
08Summary
- 60%:Dominant colour, calm, on the walls and largest surfaces.
- 30%:Secondary colour, on furniture, curtains, rug and bedding.
- 10%:Accent colour, on cushions, objects, pictures and lamps.
- How to measure:By eye, by visual weight.
- Neutrals:White, wood and metal join any part.
09Frequently asked questions
What is the 60-30-10 rule in interior design?
It is a way of dividing the colours of a room: 60% in a dominant colour, 30% in a secondary colour and 10% in an accent colour.
Does the wall colour count towards the 60%?
Yes. The walls are the largest surface in the room and the usual place for the dominant colour.
Does white count as a colour in the 60-30-10 rule?
It can. White or a light neutral is often the dominant colour, as in the child's bedroom above. It can also join any of the parts without upsetting the balance.
Does the rule work for small rooms?
Yes. In a small room, a light base in the 60% helps it look larger, and a 10% accent is enough to give it character.
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